Portland is a pop culture hot bed. From the hilarious series ‘Portlandia’ — which celebrates the indie-dom and coolness of the region and is as far removed from ‘American Idol‘ and its pop sensibilities — to the hipster-friendly nature of the often cloudy and rainy area, Portland is on our radar a bunch. No wonder ‘American Idol’ producers hit the city again this season for the audition phase.

PopCrush is thrilled to present your handy recap of what went down in Portland. There were a couple of Brits, a former refugee, lots of tall soul and a few freaks. Of course there were.

Brittany Zika: She’s ‘Tripster the Hipster,’ and sang an abundantly pretty version of a Brandi Carlile song, wore rain gear and espoused her love for Sara Bareilles – with whom she sang on stage after holding up a sign at one of Sara’s show. Dreams do come true. Perhaps her ‘Idol’ dream will, too? (We know, that rhymed like Dr. Seuss.)

Ben Purdom: This 18-year-old from Philly tried to use his deep (and odd) baritone to turn ‘Born This Way’ and ‘Super Bass’ into show tunes. Uh, no. He blamed a cold for his less-than-stellar performance. It’s always the cold’s fault.

Jermaine Jones: He’s super tall – 6’8” and a half — and even said “Don’t take away my half.” His voice was as big as he is, with a bellowing, booming tone. He offered up a spiritual and impressive version of ‘Superstar’ and we’ll see him again.

Britnee Kellog: She’s a young and cute mom of two boys, who was married for a bit. Her ex held her back from doing what she wanted to do. She pursued his dreams … Until now. She cried before she even sang a note of ‘You’re No Good,’ which fit her story. She funneled all of her pain and stunted growth into her performance and utterly blossomed.

Sam Gershman: Sam was a one-act show, with a perky personality. She sang a bizarre, vibrato version of ‘I’m a Woman’ and she used her hands to make her points. It was a little too Broadway. She belongs on a stage …. Just not the ‘Idol’ one.

David Weed: What a last name, huh? He’s from Idaho and works in the fast food industry. He sang Rush‘s ‘Tom Sawyer…’ if you can call it singing. He was a no go.

Romeo Diahn: He lived in a refugee camp in Liberia, but has flavor and soul. It might be a little too left of center for the mainstream ‘Idol’ crowd, but he is getting a chance to prove himself.

Naomi Gillies: Naomi got some brownie points by tackling ‘Cryin’‘ by Aerosmith. She missed a few notes throughout her perf, but the judges loved her.

Ben Harrison: Boy, does platinum-haired Ben have an intense baby face. He’s 28, yet looks 11. He says he gets kicked out of bands because he looks young. The judges said maybe he keeps getting the boot because he’s just not good. Seems like the latter is the more valid argument.

Jessica Phillips: This Brooklynite’s boyfriend had a massive stroke last Easter and now she has a whole new sense of responsibility, taking care of him and loving him all the same. She sang ‘Again‘ by Faith Evans and she was grooving and good so she is moving on.

The audition rounds wrap in St. Louis tomorrow night (Feb. 2) on FOX.

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